Liquid-fuel-water separator for liquid fuel burners



Deb 23, T O NOZAKI EI'AL LIQUID-FUELWATER SEPARATOR FOR LIQUID FUEL BURNERS Filed April 16, 1968 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Dec. 23, NOZAK] ETAL LIQUID-FUELWATER SEPARATOR FOR LIQUID FUEL BURNERS Filed April 16, 1968 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 United States Patent '0 US. Cl. 210-124 1 Claim ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A liquid fuel'water separator, by which water present in a liquid fuel is detected and separated therefrom and, when the water thus separated has reached a predetermined amount, a fuel supply passage is automatically closed to prevent said water from flowing into the burner.

The present invention relates to a liquid fuel-water separator which is adapted to be disposed in a fuel supply passage leading to a liquid fuel burner and by which water present in a liquid fuel for said burner is detected and separated therefrom and, when the water thus separated therefrom and, when the water thus separated has reached a predetermined amount, the fuel supply passage is closed automatically to prevent said water from flowing into said burner.

In general, a liquid fuel for domestic burners is shared from a large container, such as a drum can, into a small container before it is distributed to households. Such a drum can is usually kept outside of a house because of its huge size and as a result rain water occasionally gets mixed in the liquid fuel. The same is true when the small container is left outside of a house. In these cases, liquid fuels to be used in a burner almost unexceptionally have more or less water admixed therein due to various reasons. Use of such a liquid fuel will result in the admission of water into a burner along with the liquid fuel, with the accompanying problems that combustion of the liquid fuel is adversely affected by the water, that the bottom of a liquid fuel tank is subjected to a corrosion and further that, where the burner is provided with a gear pump for pumping the liquid fuel, the gear pump is also subjected to a corrosion and thereby the servicelife of the gear pump is shortened. In fact, claims have been lodged by the users for such problems. Furthermore, in the case of a burner which uses a wick, there has been the problem that once the wick has absorbed water, the fuel sucking capacity of the wick falled drastically and therefore normal combustion of the liquid fuel cannot be obtained.

Nevertheless, substantially no counter-measures for these problems have ever been put into effect heretofore and the provision of a water accumulation recess below a fuel strainer is the only counter-measure, if there has been any. Such a water accumulation recess, however,

cannot be regarded as a satisfactory counter-measure to solve the problems because it is only useful to let the user know visually the fact that wateris present in the liquid fuel and hence it is possible for the user to'continuously' operate the burner without knowing that:the water has filled the water accumulation recess and is being admitted into the burner along with the liquid fuel.

The present invention has been devised with a view to obviating the foregoing problems.

Namely, an object of the present invention is to provide a liquid fuel-water separator which comprises a separating tank and a separating element disposed in said separating tank, and which is capable of separating even a very small amount of water from a liquidfuel positively and thereby prevents the water from getting into a burner. Another object of the present invention is to provide a liquid fuel-water separator which comprises a separating tank and a float disposed in said separating tank and having a specific gravity intermediate between the specific gravities of Water and a liquid fuel, and which is operative in such a way that when the water separated in the separating tank has reached a predetermined amount, the float will close a fuel supply passage to a burner automatically to prevent said water from getting into the burner.

Still another object ofthe present invention is to provide a liquid fuel-water separator which is small in size and simple in structure as a whole and therefore easy in manufacture and handling, and can be used with a variety of equipment.

These and other objects and advantages of the present invention will more fully appear from the following description made in connection with the accompanying drawings which illustrate the present invention by way of example and in which:

FIG. 1 is a front elevational view of a fuel tank equipped with a liquid fuel-water separator according to the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a vertical cross sectional view of the liquid fuel-water separator shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a vertical cross sectional view of another form of the liquid fuel-water separator;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a burner equipped with the liquid fuel-water separator of this invention;

FIG. 5 is a vertical cross sectional view of the liquid fuel-water separator shown in FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 is a perspective view, partly broken away, of a cylindrical separating element used in the liquid fuel-water separator of FIG. 5; and

FIG. 7 is a perspective view, in cross section, of another form of the fioat used in the liquid fuel-water separator of FIG. 5.

An embodiment of the present invention will be de scribed with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2. In the figures, reference numeral 1 designates a fuel tank which is provided with a fuel supply port 2 for charging a liquid fuel therein. Reference numeral 3 designates a liquid fuelwater separating tank constituting the principal body of a liquid fuel-water separator according to this invention and molded of a transparent synthetic resin material. The separating tank 3 is in communication with the fuel tank 1 through a fuel inlet tube 4 which has one end connected to the top portion of said separating tank and the other end to the bottom of the fuel tank, and also with a burner (not shown) through a fuel outlet tube 5 which has one end connected to the top closure of said separating tank and the other end to the burner for supplying the liquid fuel to said burner from the separating tank therethrough. The fuel outlet tube 5 is provided thereon with a valve 8. Connected to the bottom of the separating tank 3 is a. water drain tube 6 which is provided with a drain cock 7. The water-containing liquid fuel entering the separating tank 3 forms a liquid fuel layer 9 and a water layer 10 which are separated from each other at a border surface 11. In the separating tank 3 is disposed a spherical fioat 12 which is made of such a material as polypropylene Whose specific gravity is smaller than that of water but greater than that of the liquid fuel. The top closure for the separating tank 3 has a fuel outlet opening 13 formed at the center thereof through which said separating tank communicates with the fuel outlet tube 5. The inner wall of said topi closure tapered toward the fuel outlet open- 7 ing 13 so as to guide the float 12 to a position to positively close said fuel outlet opening". Although in the embodiment shown the fuel outlet tube is formed integrally with the top closure which is screw threaded on the top end of the separating tank 3, it will be obvious that the fuel outlet tube may be independent of said top closure. Reference numeral 14 indicates a water drain opening formed in the bottom wall of the separating tank 3, through which said separating tank communicates with the drain tube 6. The inner surface of the bottom wall of the separating tank 3 is also tapered toward the opening 14 so as to lead the float '12 to a positionto positively close the water drain opening 14 when said float is lowered. Interior of the separating tank 3 is provided a plate-like baffle member which is extending vertically in confronting relation to the outlet end of the fuel inlet tube 4 and by which the liquid fuel and water are separated from each other.

With the arrangement described, when a water-containing liquid fuel is charged into the fuel tank 1 through the fuel supply port 2 and the valve 8 is opened to supply the liquid fuel to the burner (not shown), the mixture of water and the liquid fuel flows through the fuel inlet tube 4 into the liquid fuel-water separating tank 3 wherein it collides against the baffle member 15 and is separated into water and the liquid fuel. The water settles in the bottom of the separating tank 3 because it is greater in specific gravity than the liquid fuel and the liquid fuel only flows into the fuel outlet tube 5 to be supplied to the burner (not shown).

In this case since the specific gravity of the float 12 is smaller than that of water but greater than that of the liquid fuel, said float 12 is situated at the border 11 between the water layer 9 and the liquid fuel layer 10. When theinterior of the separating tank 3 has been filled with water, the float 12 is moved upwardly to close the fuel outlet opening 13, thereby preventing the water from getting into the fuel outlet tube 5. When this occurs, the drain valve 7 is opened and the water in the separating tank 3 is drained through the drain tube 6. The float 12 moves downwardly as the lever of the water layer lowers and, when the water has been drained completely, the float 12 closes the drain opening 14 to prevent the liquid fuel from being drained through said drain opening.

As will be understood from the foregoing description, the liquid fuel-water separator according to the present invention enables the detrimental effects of water to be precluded even when water is present in the fuel tank 1, by separating the water from the liquid fuel in the separating tank and, when the water thus separated in the separating tank has reached the predetermined amount, shutting down the fuel supply passage automatically to prevent the water from flowing outwardly of the separating tank.

Now, another embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. 3 but only on those portions which are different from the separator in the preceding embodiment. In FIG. 3, the liquid fuelwater separating tank 3 is provided at its top end with a nut 17 by which a top closure 16 is tightly secured to the top end of the tank. In the center of the separating tank 3 is provided a cylindrical baffle member 18, the lower portion of which is extended downwardly to provide a guide wall 18' for the float 12. The lower end of the baflie member 18 defines between it and the bottom of the separating'tank 3a space sufficient for the passage of a liquid fluid .therethrough-The baflie member. 18 has anintegral annular ledge formed on substantially the center of the inner wall thereof to constitute a stopper for a valve seat 19. The valve seat 19 is made of an elastic material such as an oil-resistant rubber or vinyl chloride. The top closure 16 is formed therein with a fuel outlet channel 5 and a fuel inlet channel 4 which are in communication with the fuel outlet tube and thefuel inlet tube respectively. The top end of the ylindrica baffle m m 1 7.5

is fittedargundthe inlet end of the fuel outlet channel 5 and a strainer 20, such as a metal screen, is disposed in said baffle member surrounding the inlet end of the fuel outlet channel. The float 12 is arranged to move up and down Within the float guide wall 18 of the baffle member 18 by being guided thereby.

Such being the arrangement, a liquid fuel flowing into the separating tank 3 through the fuel inlet channel 4 is led into the cylindrical baffle member 18 from the bottom end thereof and, after passing through the strainer 20, flows through the fuel outlet channel 5 into the burner (not shown). If, in this case, water is present in the liquid fuel, the water settles in the bottom of the separating tank 3 causing the float 12 to move upwardly within the guide wall 18 of the bafile member 18. When the water accumulated in the separating tank 3 has reached a predetermined amount, the float 12 is brought into abutment against the valve seat 19, whereby the water is prevented from flowing into the burner.

The liquid fuel-water separator illustrated in this embodiment is advantageous in that, since the baffle member 18 is cylindrical in shape, the liquid fuel entering the separating tank 3 through the fuel inlet channel 4 is necessarily caused to pass through the baffle member from the bottom end thereof and therefore Water can be separated from the liquid fuel more efficiently in the preceding embodiment. Another advantage of this liquid fuel-Water separator is that, since the valve seat 19 is made of an elastic material such as a rubber or vinyl chloride, it will produce a good sealing between it and the float 12 and thereby the admission of water into the burner can be prevented completely. The liquid fuel- 'water separator according to thi embodiment brings about a further advantage that the dusts contained in the liquid fuel can be removed by the strainer 20.

Next, a practical example in which the liquid fuelwater separator according to the present invention is used with a burner, will be described with reference to FIGS. 4, 5 and 6. As seen in FIG. 4, the burner generally indicated by 21 is provided with a gear pump 21 for pumping a liquid fuel from a fuel source through a fuel suction tube 23, and a liquid fuel-water separator 22 of this invention is a fuel supply passage before said gear pump and said burner. The structure of the liquid fuel-water separator 22 used is shown in FIG. 5. As shown, the bottom portion of the separating tank 3, constituting the principal body of the separator 22, has a frustoconical shape in cross section composed of a tapered wall 24 and a fiat bottom 24'. The float 12 is positioned on the flat bottom 24' of the separating tank. Similar to the embodiment of FIG. 3, the cylindrical baflie, member 18 is connected to the top closure 16, with the strainer 20 disposed therein. The valve seat 19 is provided interior to the cylindrical baflle member 18, which in cooperation with the float 12 will shut down the fuel supply passage, when said float 12 floats upwardly by being guided by the guide wall 18' of the bafile member 18.'The cylindrical baffle member 18 has an integral annular ledge 25 formed on the lower portion of the outer surface thereof. This annular ledge 25 serves to mitigatethe inconsistent pressure 'of the liquid fuel, dropping thereon from the fuel inlet channel4, and prevent the liquid fuel from flowing out from the separating tank throughthe fuel outlet channel 5 into' the burner without having the water contained therein removed therefrom. Namely, the annular ledge 25 serves as a sort of condenser.

' The liquid fuel-water separator having the structure shown in FIG. 5, which operates in Substantially the same manner as that shown in FIG. 3, has the following advantages. Namely, the frustoconically shaped bottom of the separating tank 3 facilitates the accumulation of water therein and the upward movement of the float 12 iscaused even on accumulation of a small amount of Water in the'frustoconic'ally shaped bottom, Further,

the size of water particles is increased upon inpingement against the annular ledge formed on the outer surface of the baffle member 18, so that the water can be separated more efliciently than in the preceding embodiments. The liquid fuel-water separator of this embodiment is particularly advantageously used with an equipment in which the flow rate of a liquid fuel is high.

The float 12 used in the liquid fuel-Water separator shown in FIG. 5 may be substituted by a combination of a float 12 and a float guide 27 as shown in FIG. 7, with no substantial change in its effect. Namely, in this case, the float 12 is composed of a substantially semispherical member 26 and a vertical stem member 26' formed integrally therewith, while the float guide 27 is composed of a cylindrical member and fixed to the bottom of the separating tank 3 axially thereof for slidably receiving the stern member 26 of the float 12. The cylindrical float guide 27 has a plurality of vertical slits 27 formed therein, through which the liquid fuel is admitted into the interior of said float guide.

The float of this type has the advantage that the float 26 always moves axially of the separating tank 3 with said stem member 26' sliding in the cylindrical float guide 27, so that the fuel passage can be shut down in a positive manner at all times.

From the foregoing description, it will be understood that according to the present invention, water mixed in a liquid fuel can be separated therefrom effectively positively in the separating tank by the baffle member disposed therein and the Water thus separated in the separating tank is prevented from being admitted into the fuel supply passage by the float which will move upwardly floating on the surface of water layer and automatically close the fuel supply passage when the water in the tank has reached a predetermined amount. Therefore, by the use of the liquid fuel-water separator of this invention, no water is permitted to get ino a burner or other associated equipment along with a liquid fuel and consequently the conventional problems caused by the presence of water in a liquid fuel can be eliminated. Further, the inventive liquid fuel-Water separator, which comprises the separating tank, the baflie member and the float, is very simple in structure and small in size, and can be used with various equipment with no operational trouble because it includes no moving parts.

What is claimed is:

1. A liquid fuel-water separator for a liquid fuel burner, comprising a separating tank having a fuel inlet and a fuel outlet, said fuel outlet communicating with the interior of said tank at an upper portion thereof, the bottom portion of the separating tank having a frustoconical configuration, and a vertically-extending cylindrical baflie member dispose-d within said tank around said outlet with a space provided between the lower end of said cylindrical baflie member and the bottom of said tank to allow passage of fluid therethrough, a float positioned within said cylindrical baffle and having a specific gravity smaller than that of water but greater than that of the liquid fuel, said cylindrical baflle member serving to maintain the liquid fuel and water in said tank in separated condition against a disturbance due to an incoming watercontaining liquid fuel and also to guide said float during vertical movement thereof, said cylindrical baflle member having an integral annular ledge formed on the outer surface thereof with a clearance provided between the peripheral edge of said ledge and the inner wall of said tank, said annular ledge serving to mitigate the pressure and velocity of the incoming water-containing liquid fuel dropping thereon from the inlet, a strainer disposed within said cylindrical baflie member in opposed relation to the outlet, and a valve seat formed of an elastic material and provided at the inside of said cylindrical baflle member to engage the float to prevent the water collected in said tank from passing through said outlet.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 924,524 6/1909 Zerkowitz 210123 1,083,757 1/1914 Port 210-124 1,135,900 4/1915 Hughson 210-306 X 1,468,906 9/1923 Inman 2.10533 X 1,649,570 11/1927 Chandler et al. 210-123 X 1,700,811 2/1929 Samiran 210123 X 2,170,247 8/1939 Lambert 2101 14 2,311,697 2/1943 Samiran 210- 2,348,757 5/1944 Samiran 210-115 3,012,675 12/1961 Phelps et al. 210123 X 3,385,440 5/1968 Ray 210109 FOREIGN PATENTS 547,667 9/ 1922 France. 615,066 10/1926 France. 656,533 1/1929 France. 988,569 4/1965 Great Britain.

REUBEN FRIEDMAN, Primary Examiner C. M. DITLOW, Assistant Examiner US. Cl. X.R. 210306, 11 

